Time for me to call it a day. What happened?
- the government introduced a mega bill containing all kinds of changes to paid parental leave, family tax payments, childcare and welfare;
- there are some goodies in there to tempt the crossbench but it remains to be seen if they are enough;
- the opposition says the government wants to hold families hostage by linking welfare cuts to childcare changes;
- independent senator Derryn Hinch has agreed to a beefing up of the construction industry watchdog's powers; and
- Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull revved up the troops with a fiery attack on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
Many thanks to Andrew Meares and Alex Ellinghausen for letting me write their captions and to you for keeping us company.
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The chaps and I will be back in the morning. Until then, good evening.
You can catch up on Mr Turnbull's question time performance in this video.
Malcolm Turnbull's extraordinary spray
Barnaby Joyce can barely contain himself as the Prime Minister brands Bill Shorten 'a social-climbing sycophant'.
Matthew Knott has wrapped up the changes to childcare and welfare that the Turnbull government wants to make.
Speaking of Centrelink's debt recovering system, Labor and Greens have got the Senate's support to hold an inquiry into just what is going on.
Well, I think I need a moment to collect myself after that.
But the Coalition backbench will be stoked and they haven't applauded a performance from Mr Turnbull like that in quite a while. Good for morale.
The motion is, obviously, unsuccessful and Mr Turnbull calls an end to question time.
Back to topAnd the Prime Minister goes on.
The Labor Party thinks "manual labour is a Mexican band".
"Most of them have never done a day's work in their life," he says.
Mr Turnbull goes to accuse Mr Shorten of "blowing hard in the House of Representatives and sucking hard in the living rooms of Melbourne".
![Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during question time on Wednesday.](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/a/g/9/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu8a0m.png/1486957427191.jpg)
But wait, there's more.
Mr Turnbull accuses Mr Shorten of "sucking up to millionaires".
"He likes harbourside mansions, he's yearning for one."
All Mr Shorten wants is to be "living in luxury at the expense of the Australian taxpayer. This man is a parasite."
![Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce listens to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during question time on Wednesday.](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/a/g/j/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu89w0.png/1489458359338.jpg)
Mr Turnbull decides to take Mr Shorten on.
"There was never a union leader in Melbourne who tucked his knees under the tables of more millionaires than Bill Shorten," Mr Turnbull says.
Mr Shorten is a "social climbing sycophant", he says.
![Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during question time on Wednesday.](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/a/g/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu89r6.png/1486528118991.jpg)
Cue a censor motion from Mr Shorten.
"Mr Harbourside Mansion is attacking the living standards of more than one million Australians," he says, "tough on pensioners, soft on banks".
![Opposition Leader Bill Shorten during question time on Wednesday.](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/a/4/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu8994.png/1486527520221.jpg)
Mr Shorten returns to his compare and contrast exercise of the company taxs versus family payments.
"It was only last week that the Opposition Leader said he was going to be talking about people not politics," Mr Turnbull says.
Mr Turnbull was looking forward to Mr Shorten "bursting like a refreshing ray of sunshine into the House of Representatives".
But, he laments, it was not to be.
Back to topHuman Services Minister Alan Tudge is addressing one of the government's least favourite summer stories - Centrelink debt notices.
Labor MP Linda Burney asked him yesterday about one of her constituents who lost her pension as a result of an incorrect income assessment.
Mr Tudge looked into the matter and found it was the fault of a Centrelink official who incorrectly entered information into the system.
"It had nothing to do with the computer system," he says, before taking Ms Burney to task for raising the matter with him in question time.
It falls to Social Services Minister Christian Porter to explain the finer details of the government's changes which are complicated.
"The best possible way that the government can help families is to help families engage in the workforce, to help families improve their circumstances," Mr Porter says.
![Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Social Services Minister Christian Porter during question time on Wednesday.](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/8/7/2/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu88d4.png/1486599840368.jpg)
Those backbench feels.
![Former defence minister Kevin Andrews and former prime minister Tony Abbott during question time on Wednesday.](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/8/6/z/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu8897.png/1486546753237.jpg)
Mr Shorten goes for an obvious question which is the contrast between the Coalition's desire for company tax cuts and the changes to family tax payments.
Mr Turnbull says families rely on businesses for work.
The changes have been designed "so equitably, so fairly", the Prime Minister says, and yet still the opposition stands in the way.
Mr Shorten wants to know why Mr Turnbull is only talking about the people who will do well out of the changes, not the ones who lose out.
"How can the Prime Minister stand there and pat himself on the back for attacking the living standards of one million Australians?", Mr Shorten asks.
This is going to be an interesting argument.
Whose line will people buy?
![Social Services Minister Christan Porter and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during question time on Wednesday.](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/8/f/i/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu87jn.png/1486525055963.jpg)
Question time gets underway with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten asking Mr Turnbull about the childcare and welfare changes.
"We stand for the security and opportunity that Australians deserve," Mr Turnbull says.
"I'm a republican but your behaviour has been absolutely abominable," the leader of the house, Christopher Pyne, says sternly.
The chuckles and chortle have been declared out of order.
![Labor MP Terri Butler as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull talks about the Queen in question time on Wednesday.](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/8/1/h/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu876u.png/1486524498908.jpg)
Goodness.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull begins by congratulating Queen Elizabeth II on the 65th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.
"Few of us can say we are not Elizabethans," Mr Turnbull says to a chamber full of chortles and chuckles.
![Labor MP Terri Butler masks her laughter as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull talks about the Queen in question time on ...](/web/20170512155346im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/7/v/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu873k.png/1486524246544.jpg)
But before that, government MP Warren Entsch is criticising the salary of Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour.
Yes, you're correct, that's the same Mr Entsch who just yesterday complained about losing the gold travel pass.
Question time - now less than then minutes away.
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